If Hindus still in danger after decade of BJP rule, it should not return to power: Kirti Azad

KOLKATA: TMC candidate and former India cricketer Kirti Azad sought to poke holes in the BJP’s Hindu nationalism plank, saying if the saffron party persists in using the “Hindu Khatre mein” (Hindus in danger) narrative despite being in power for ten years, it raises doubts about the party’s necessity to return to power.

The former BJP MP-turned-TMC nominee from West Bengal’s Bardhaman-Durgapur Lok Sabha seat, also said the issue of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) was a “ploy to communalise the polls” since the saffron camp “lacks an impressive report card to present before the masses”.

In an interview with PTI, Azad highlighted India’s diversity and argued against the feasibility of implementing UCC in such a varied cultural landscape while stressing that history belies BJP’s claims of Hindu insecurity under previous regimes.

“During the Mughal rule, Hindus were not under threat; they were not in peril during British rule; even under multiple governments post-Independence, Hindus never faced any perceived danger. So how come Hindus are suddenly in danger when a Hindu nationalist party is in power for the last 10 years?” he argued.

If a Hindu party cannot save Hindus, they should be thrown out of power, Azad added.

“The fact is that the BJP has nothing to show on its 10-year report card. That’s why they resorted to the rhetoric of ‘Hindu Khatre mein hain’ and created fear psychosis about other communities,” he said.

Azad, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning cricket squad, said communal harmony formed the team’s backbone in that historic campaign.

“When we won the Cup, we had Hindu players in the team, a Muslim in Syed Kirmani, a Sikh in Balwinder Sandhu, and a Christian – Roger Binny. All of us fought together and won the first World Cup for India. All these religions were fighting together against the British for the country’s Independence. And the BJP speaks about Hindus under threat,” he said.

Azad questioned the BJP’s failure to implement the UCC during its tenure despite promising it in multiple election campaigns and dismissed the BJP’s push for the Code as politically motivated and impractical in India’s diverse socio-cultural fabric.

“The BJP has been saying since its inception that they will bring UCC. They made this promise in 1998 and 1999 too. In 2014 also, UCC was in their poll agenda. What stopped the BJP from implementing UCC in the last decade when they had an absolute majority in government? It’s nothing more than a political rhetoric,” he said.